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Tesla reveals Supercharger network, Free Fill Ups

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Re: Tesla reveals Supercharger network, Free Fill Ups

#111

Post by mseebach2 »

sliverstorm wrote: post #94
evride wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe they should have called the 'original' supercharger a "mechanical air compressor" instead of supercharger since the connection between the term and the definition is pretty weak, while Tesla's supercharger is an actual charger that charges more quickly than your average charger... making it 'super.'

Maybe they had more reason to call it a supercharger than you think. Supporting evidence- A turbocharger, or turbo (colloquialism), from the Greek "τύρβη" (mixing/spinning) Turbochargers were originally known as a turbosuperchargers when all forced induction devices were classified as superchargers -- Wikipedia In other words, the turbocharger was actually the origin of the concept of "turbo" meaning boosted speed/po…

"Super" means that the subject is "above" as in superstructure, superscript and superintendent. A supercharger is then a charger that's above (presumably in performance) regular chargers.

"To charge" means "to load [a carriage]", "A charge" means "a [carriage] load" -- so while the metaphor is overloaded, it actually seems to applies better to charging a battery than to forcing air into a combustion engine.

Re: Tesla reveals Supercharger network, Free Fill Ups

#112

Post by eric-hu »

lgbr wrote: post #96
w1ntermute wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> because you charge mostly at home One of Musk's arguments for the supercharger was that it doesn't use non-renewable sources of energy. If you're charging at home, you're doing just that, since you're relying on the power plant for energy.

> If you're charging at home, you're doing just that, since you're relying on the power plant for energy. Not necessarily. In Seattle, where solar is less effective, the electricity comes from almost entirely hydroelectric, with a little wind and a little nuclear. Source: http://www.seattle.gov/light/fuelmix/

Amazing! Thanks for the link. I had no idea Seattle was so close to 100% renewable.

For those too lazy to click the link:

Hydro 92.39%

Wind 4.07%

Nuclear 2.52%

Coal 0.52%

All other categories are 0.25% and below.

Re: Tesla reveals Supercharger network, Free Fill Ups

#113

Post by sliverstorm »

mseebach2 wrote: post #111
sliverstorm wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe they had more reason to call it a supercharger than you think. Supporting evidence- A turbocharger, or turbo (colloquialism), from the Greek "τύρβη" (mixing/spinning) Turbochargers were originally known as a turbosuperchargers when all forced induction devices were classified as superchargers -- Wikipedia In other words, the turbocharger was actually the origin of the concept of "turbo" meaning boosted speed/po…

"Super" means that the subject is "above" as in superstructure, superscript and superintendent. A supercharger is then a charger that's above (presumably in performance) regular chargers. "To charge" means "to load [a carriage]", "A charge" means "a [carriage] load" -- so while the metaphor is overloaded, it actually seems to applies better to charging a battery than to forcing air into a combustion engine.

If we go with your interpretation of "above", it actually makes perfect sense- the intake charge is "above" ambient pressure.

Re: Tesla reveals Supercharger network, Free Fill Ups

#114

Post by timdorr »

ricardobeat wrote: post #47
timdorr wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, Elon said free for life on the the announcement.

Only for Model S owners, it will presumably be phased out sometime in the next couple years.

Why would it be? Once they're built out, the ongoing costs of maintenance is relatively cheap. It becomes a HUGE up-sell for their future vehicles if the free charging is only offered on the more expensive versions of the X and future cars.

Re: Tesla reveals Supercharger network, Free Fill Ups

#115

Post by mistercow »

alexholehouse wrote: post #53
jerrya wrote: post #20

Is it outrageous to think that eventually this "gas" will be free because outlets will compete to have Tesla and other electric customers stuck at their restaurant, bar, store for a half hour?

I remember talking to a friend who worked for an oil company, who told me that the shops at gas stations actually make 2-3 times more than the revenue generated from the gas. If you were an oil company which dealt exclusively with the consumer (which of course non of them are) you would in fact be a catering business which sold gas on the side.

>I remember talking to a friend who worked for an oil company, who told me that the shops at gas stations actually make 2-3 times more than the revenue generated from the gas

That is completely impossible. Maybe profit, but not revenue. Even my sedan with a 17 gallon tank costs more to fill up than even a pack-a-day smoker with a lottery addiction and a love of energy drinks is likely to spend at the shop.

Re: Tesla reveals Supercharger network, Free Fill Ups

#116

Post by eric-hu »

svmegatron wrote: post #37

If these become as popular as they seem like they should, I foresee long lines at the supercharging stations. I'm sure that 1. Tesla have thought of it and 2. They will milk the positive publicity from such an occurrence, but it could still be a PITA for, eg., folks who want to get home from Vegas.

What's to keep Tesla from partnering up with major supermarkets and malls?

Tesla could offer free covered parking spaces to the building owner-operators and free (or metered) charging to the customers.

The owner-operators get free 'green' PR, and could see increased business as customers have an incentive to stay in the stores longer.

Tesla sees a real-estate free way to offer more charging stations, a marketing cost for their vehicles that also adds value to their product.

Re: Tesla reveals Supercharger network, Free Fill Ups

#117

Post by brc »

evride wrote: post #83
brc wrote: post #29

Personally, I get annoyed when a company takes an existing term with a defined definition, and then decides to change the meaning. A supercharger is a mechanically driven air compressor which forces air into an engine. For a car company to take that name and redefine it into a marketing effort, well, it's annoying. Kind of like those 'turbo' buttons that used to be on the front of a PC.

Maybe they should have called the 'original' supercharger a "mechanical air compressor" instead of supercharger since the connection between the term and the definition is pretty weak, while Tesla's supercharger is an actual charger that charges more quickly than your average charger... making it 'super.'

'air charge' is a specific term meaning the air entering the combustion chamber.

So 'supercharge' is a term for 'bigger air charge'.

However, when you deconstruct it, it is a bit silly. I dislike the addition of 'super' to things anyway, it's a very lazy way of coining a term.

Maybe we should all just adopt Kompressor like the Germans. And leave supercharge, supercharger and supercharged for the marketing folk to devalue to oblivion.

Edit : I just thought of a much better name. Who wouldn't want to connect up their Tesla to the ... wait for it..:

Warpcharger

Yeah, Warpcharger stations. Much cooler, and probably able to be trademarked as well.

Re: Tesla reveals Supercharger network, Free Fill Ups

#118

Post by Andrenid »

brc wrote: post #29

Personally, I get annoyed when a company takes an existing term with a defined definition, and then decides to change the meaning. A supercharger is a mechanically driven air compressor which forces air into an engine. For a car company to take that name and redefine it into a marketing effort, well, it's annoying. Kind of like those 'turbo' buttons that used to be on the front of a PC.

This annoyed me a bit as well. I really wish they'd chosen a unique name so people wouldn't get confused.

Just like Ducati with the "Streetfighter", using an existing name from the same industry just leads to confused customers and even more confused readers-of-articles.

Re: Tesla reveals Supercharger network, Free Fill Ups

#119

Post by brc »

danboarder wrote: post #32
revelation wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because the battery swap model doesn't exist. It's a cool idea, but it's not right here right now.

Drivers are already using battery swap stations in Israel and a few other test areas. Swap for a full battery takes less than 5 minutes. The cars built to work with this system are Renault and Nissan I believe. Check out the standardized batteries (drivers subscribe to a 'battery plan' so any full battery is works the same). video: Drive Switch Go - Better Place short video http://youtu.be/VR3oLV4fdcE longer video ht…

Battery swap technology constrains car design. The Model S, I believe, sandwiches the battery packs throughout the car to avoid one big lump of mass sitting somewhere.

While I think the battery swap idea is a good one, it has many problems, not the least of which is getting all the manufacturers to agree to a myriad of standards. And agreeing to many of those standards means delegating part of your design process.

Re: Tesla reveals Supercharger network, Free Fill Ups

#120

Post by sbierwagen »

schiffern wrote: post #33
JohnsonB wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can build swap stations incrementally though just like they are building these supercharging stations, so I don't see what the difference is, other than swapping is quicker/better.

> quicker/better Quicker may be true, but "better"? Swap stations are more expensive, they constrain vehicle design, battery shape, and battery technology upgradeability. This makes the vehicle some combination of heavier, less safe, or more expensive (pick your poison). People don't seem to realize that the limiting factor for charge rate isn't current. It's cooling. A far simpler solution would just pump coolant th…

  cooling
?

The Roadster has a water-cooled battery pack, and I assume the Model S does too.

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